Broncos may have just gifted the Chargers their savior at the tight end position

Update: After publication of this article it was reported that the Denver Broncos are trading Albert Okwuegbunam to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Roster cuts throughout the league are starting to roll in at a rapid pace as teams look to cut the roster down to 53 players before Tuesday afternoon's deadline. While the LA Chargers make roster cuts of their own, it is imperative that the team keeps an eye on who is available on the waiver wire.

There were several talented players that hit waivers on Monday and the list of potential candidates has only grown on Tuesday. While these players may not have worked out for their original teams, they could offer real value to the Bolts.

Perhaps the most intriguing name of all the potential candidates has emerged from the rivaled Denver Broncos. Denver waived former fourth-round pick Albert Okwuegbunam on Tuesday.
The 25-year-old tight end has not lived up to the immense hype he had coming into the league and has also struggled to stay healthy at times as well.

That being said, he could end up being the Chargers' savior at the tight end position.

Why Albert Okwuegbunam would be a great waiver claim for the Chargers:

It goes without saying that the tight-end position is pretty thin for the Bolts. Gerald Everett is a solid TE1 but Donald Parham and Tre' McKitty both struggled in the preseason and in camp. Stone Smartt played well and may make the roster because of it but someone like Okwuegbunam has a lot more potential than Smartt does.

Okwuegbunam has not come around much as a pass-catching tight end but that should not turn the Chargers away. The team has Everett to catch passes as well as a lot of other weapons around Justin Herbert. What the Chargers need is a tight end that can consistently block in both the run and pass, which Okwuegbunam can certainly do.

It has become clear in the preseason that the Chargers want to diversify the offense more, and as Brandon Staley put it in the offseason, marry the run with the pass. It is hard to do that with a tight end room that struggles in run blocking.

Okwuegbunam won't come in and make 50 catches for 500 yards and become a prominent touchdown machine. However, he truly could take the Chargers offense to the next level by simply being a reliable blocking presence at a position that desperately needs it in 2023.